(VIGILANTE SPOILERS) This is the most I've been affected by a Telltale game.
My brain is fried, but I just played through the finale. I'm not upset about it at all. I haven't played the villain route yet--please don't spoil me--but the vigilante route blew my mind more than any Telltale game so far. I knew that John would fuck up being a hero--he was too unstable to handle the stresses of fighting crime while also controlling his temptations. But instead of even considering that, I suppressed it. I didn't want to turn on John. And Telltale took full advantage.
Watching him slaughter those agents made me freeze up, but it wasn't until John and Bruce settled down and the music cut out that my heart dropped. Watching John covered in blood, clearly in the midst of some out-of-control, paranoid manic episode, I felt the discomfort in me grow. I've grown up around people who've suffered from mental illness, and have a few minor issues of my own. His stream-of-conscious, defeated rant felt authentic to me. After assuring that, past John's paranoid doubts, Bruce really was his friend, I paused the game and took a break. I haven't had any piece of media disturb me to that extent in at least a year. I walked around outside, had a cigarette, sipped water, and jumped back in. I dreaded having to look at John like that again--as odd as that might sound, seeing as I was never a fervent fan--but I had to know how it ended.
I don't have any serious complaints at all. Maybe the final talk with John was tropey in some way or another, maybe some of his jokes didn't land, maybe there's more illusion of choice here than it seems, I don't care. There was an intelligent resolution, plenty of difficult choices, fun action sequences, everything I could want. I had high expectations and Telltale met them.
Agree or disagree, here's my point; even if the Villain route is better in some ways, this one is still fantastic. Maybe it's not suited for everyone, but that's exactly why it works. It's the culmination of Telltale pulling at the heartstrings of people who wanted to help John Doe, and it was executed very well. If any of you are upset about John turning on you, you have no one to blame but yourself. This is exactly how this story should have been resolved.
If any writers are reading (Emily or Meghan or whoever), thanks. I'm going to take a nap.
Comments
I have to admit, I was expecting Joker and Batman to take down Waller together, so I was disappointed when she walked away without any consequences. That being said, it became obvious to me that Joker couldn't be saved when he blew up the GCPD. Even despite that, my heart hurt when Joker and Batman both sank to the ground after fighting and Joker asks Batman if he was ever his friend. The feels...
Waller is to powerful she will always walk away with few consequences. It is always a stalemate with batman and her. I told joker he was always my friend
I almost teared up when we locked eyes in his office. The silence and that zoom in on the pictures during his monologue just hit me. I poured my heart and soul into John and I wanted things to go well and even despite all that happened I don't regret saying I'm John's friend. I'd give up Batman just so I can see and check up on him. Not cause its my job to keep guard of him but because he's my friend who I care about.